To Whom You Are Loyal
by FullMoonMaiden
Summary: Sequel to "Phantom Murderer or Gentleman". Ulquiorra and Orihime are finally able to live together without the fear of any midieval curses or the threat of Ichigo Kurosaki, or so they thought. When Orihime's ex-crush suddenly reappears and a dark shadow looms overhead, Ulquiorra and Lied soon realize that there are a few things from the past that still need to be taken care of.
1. In Times of Peace

The birds were chirping merrily in the lush, green trees as a black haired man and a reddish-orange haired young woman slowly walked through the park in the bright, midday sun. It was a perfect day. The sun was beating its warm rays down onto the gray sidewalk, the air was fresh, there was a slight breeze that ruffled their hair as it carried the scent of newly cut grass, you could hear sound of running water coming from the stream up ahead, and the various shades of pink, violate, red, white, yellow, orange, and blue flowers turned the vast, emerald ocean into a breathtaking canvas splattered with a beautiful array of color. There was not a single thing in the world that could have made this day any better.

"Are you nervous?" the black haired man asked; his bright green eyes glancing down at the woman wrapped in his arm. He was wearing a pair of faded, blue jeans, a black belt, and a loose, black t-shirt that stretched slightly over his chest and shoulders. The woman had suggested that he wear a lighter colored shirt, but he had assured that he would be fine. Now he was beginning to regret not taking her advice.

"Nervous?" the young red head repeated. She was wearing a light yellow sundress, tan sandals, and a white, button up t-shirt which she had left open. Her sparkling, gray eyes looked up into the man's face as she smiled warmly. "Why would I be nervous?"

"The wedding is in less then a week," the man informed, keeping his voice monotone. "I have not been in a wedding ceremony in over four-hundred years, but I know for a fact that usually about this time the bride-to-be tends to get a little restless."

The girl smiled and laughed sweetly. "Come on, Ulquiorra. Do I honestly look like I'm nervous? If anything, I'm more excited!" She rushed ahead and twirled elegantly. Her sundress raising slightly by the sudden updraft. "Graduation is tomorrow, and the wedding is in six days. How can I be nervous?"

"How could someone not be nervous?" Ulquiorra thought amusingly. His eyes closed and a slight smile formed on his lips. "In every family I have been in up until now any, and every, wedding caused everyone to practically go insane, yet you have somehow kept a level head all these months. That is one thing I admire about you, Orihime."

His thoughts were interrupted by Orihime threading her arm through his and leaning her head on his shoulder. The scent of strawberries emanating from her hair wafted to his nose and fogged his brain with the intoxicating aroma. How he had managed to keep his promise, and leave her chaste, was beyond him.

They walked pass a couple sitting on a bench. They were cooing over an infant dressed in a white dress, wrapped in a pink and yellow blanket as most newborns are. The child had light brown, almost blonde, hair identical to the woman holding her and the man's nose. It was not an ugly child, but Ulquiorra could not quite see what the new parents were so excited about.

Orihime glanced back at the family and sighed. She pressed her head against his shoulder and gently rubbed her hair on his shirt.

"Is something wrong?" he asked; a small riptide of worry swirling in his heart.

"No," Orihime smiled slightly and quickly took a second glance at the distant couple and their newborn, "nothing's wrong."

Ulquiorra glanced back and looked down at the woman by his side. "Do you wish for a child?"

Orihime's face exploded in fire as she blushed five shades of red at once. "N-no! Well, yes, maybe, but not now! I'm too young for something like that! We're too young! I'm just finishing high school! There are so many things I want to do before I consider having a baby and starting a family!" She felt Ulquiorra pull his arm away from hers and wrap it around her waist.

"Technically, I am four-hundred and nineteen to four-hundred and twenty years old," Ulquiorra said humorously. "I am not too young to be fathering a child. Actually, I should have been a father quite some time ago. And, had I not have become a mercenary, I would have."

"I know that," Orihime sighed. The thought of Ulquiorra being eighteen, or even sixteen, and married to another woman sent short bursts of jealousy pulsing through her body; imagining him being the father of another woman's child wasn't helping either. "It's just, I can't help but feel curious about what it's like, being a mother and all. I'm the youngest. I never got to experience what it was like to see my mom go through all of the steps of pregnancy."

"If that is all you are worried about, you did not miss much," Ulquiorra replied. "It is foggy, but I can remember a few things my mother did when she was still harboring Lena in her womb. She was sick, a lot, and had very strange tastes in food. And when Lena started to kick her from the inside, she had me place my hand on her swollen belly so I could feel her."

He looked down at his hand and twitched the tips of his fingers towards his palm slightly. "If anything, that was the most exciting part of her entire pregnancy; feeling Lena kick like that." He twitched his fingers again and marveled at how much it felt like the kick he had experienced all those centuries ago.

Orihime gazed at his hand in mystified wonder. "What did it feel like?"

Ulquiorra smiled slightly and gently pressed his hand to her stomach. "I suppose it felt kind of like this," he gently twitched his hand so his muscles would contract on her belly, "only from the inside."

Orihime's eyes widened slightly in awe. Now she at least had an idea of what it felt like. It was a strange, pulsing feeling from the inside.

She looked up and noticed that a few people were staring at them. "Ulquiorra," she quickly pulled his hand away, "stop. People are staring."

"What is your point?" Ulquiorra asked slightly confused as he straightened his back. "People always tend to stare."

"Yeah, but," Orihime took a quick glance at the group of middle-aged women staring at them with awe-struck faces, "no one's ever stared at us like that before. I think they might think I'm pregnant."

Ulquiorra gazed over at the group of woman huddled around a café table. They had exited the park and were now walking through the shopping district of Karakura Town. "So what if they are? You and I both know you are not in such a condition. What does it matter if a few overly nosy strangers make the wrong assumption that you are pregnant?"

"It's just-" Orihime was silenced by Ulquiorra placing a finger to her lips.

"I will not hear any of that," he warned. "You worry too much about what other people think. It is not healthy to try and make yourself liked by everyone. Besides," he gently pulled her past the café and nodded politely at the group of women, causing them to blush slightly, "I think they are more interested in how you and I ended up together."

Orihime glanced back at the blushing group of women. They were fussing amongst each other like a flock of old hens. "You have a point."

"Precisely," Ulquiorra checked his watch, "however, we had better hurry. Mr. and Mrs. Taka wished to meet with us for lunch. If we do not start making our way to the restaurant, we will be late."

"Oh no," Orihime exclaimed, "I forgot all about that!" She grabbed Ulquiorra's arm and pulled him eagerly down the street. "We got to get going! You remember what happened the last time we were late!"

Indeed he did. They had been invited to join Mr. and Mrs. Taka at a fancy restaurant for Valentine's Day, but they had gotten a little lost on the way there. When they finally arrived, Mrs. Taka lectured them with how important it was to be on time, or to at least call ahead of time to say that they were going to be late, etc. You could have sworn that she was about to send a search party to look for them by the way she was acting, and that was when they were five minutes late.

Even though they practically ran to the small café on the corner, Ulquiorra and Orihime were still two minutes late. Mrs. Taka was bouncing in her seat in anxiety while her husband sat back in his chair and read the Sports section in the newspaper. It was obvious that he was trying to ignore his wife's steadily increasing concern.

"There you two are!" she exclaimed as Orihime and Ulquiorra jogged up to the table placed under the café's awning. She entrapped the young red head in a spine, snapping hug while her husband stood up and shook Ulquiorra's hand. "I was beginning to think something horrible had happened!"

"Relax, Kaede," Mr. Taka said, rolling his eyes, "they're just a few minutes late. It's not like we've been waiting here for hours."

Mrs. Taka practically broke Orihime's neck as she stared in disbelief at her husband. "How can you say that, Nagato? What if they had gotten into an accident, got mugged, or even killed?"

"They're just two minutes late," Mr. Taka stressed. "It would be a completely different story if they had actually been an hour late."

"Oh, you're impossible! Do you know that?" Mrs. Taka exclaimed and sat down. "Anyway, let's all just enjoy a nice lunch."

Ulquiorra, Orihime, and Mr. Taka all sat down hesitantly.

"So, Orihime," Mrs. Taka said happily once their food arrived, "are you nervous?"

Orihime looked up from her plate and raised an eyebrow. "Nervous? Why is it that everyone's been asking me that question? I'm not nervous." She smiled as she answered the slightly annoying question. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you two are getting married in six days," Mrs. Taka informed, motioning towards Ulquiorra, "and you haven't even figured out who you plan on walking you down the isle."

"Well, actually, I have." Orihime turned her attention to her landlord. "I was wondering if you would do me the honor of giving me away, Mr. Taka? And maybe, if it's not too much trouble, you could dance with me during the father-daughter dance?"

Mr. Taka's eyes widened and a slight shadow covered his eyes as he choked on his chicken sandwich. He pounded on his chest in a desperate attempt to dislodge the hunk of chicken wedged in his throat, but was only able to regain his oxygen intake when Ulquiorra gave him a swift slap on the back.

"You want me to give you away?" he asked, gasping for air.

Orihime smiled and nodded. "If it's not too much trouble, and, maybe, you could dance with me during the father-daughter dance? I know you're not my real dad, but you've kind of stepped in and taken over the role."

A tear formed in Mr. Taka's eye and he wiped it away. "Ah, these damn allergies," he swept the back of his hand over his eye. He turned his attention back to Orihime and smiled. "I'd be honored to fill in the role of father of the bride at your wedding, Orihime."

"You will? Oh, thank you, Mr. Taka," Orihime exclaimed and hugged him over the table. "Thank you, so much!"

Mr. Taka was taken aback by the sudden gesture, but smiled and hesitantly patted Orihime on the back. How could he have refused her request? His own daughter had died before she had even had the chance to get a boyfriend, much less married. Knowing that this young woman was so adamant about having him give her away sent a wave of euphoria through his body; there was no way he could have said no, even if he had wanted to.

Orihime sat down in her chair, smiling brightly, and nudged Ulquiorra's knee under the table. She had done her part. Now it was his turn to do his.

Ulquiorra glanced from Orihime to Mrs. Taka and cleared his throat. "Seeing as to how we are discussing the events that we will be partaking in after the wedding," he rubbed the back of his head, "and since I do not technically have a mother to dance with during the mother-son dance. I was wondering if you would consider dancing with a burden like me, Mrs. Taka?"

There was a high-pitched squeal as Mrs. Taka burst into tears and quickly rushed around the table to hug Ulquiorra tightly around the neck.

"Oh, dear, of course I will!" she sobbed. "I can't think of anything I'd rather do!" She sat down in her chair and wiped the steady stream of tears from her eyes. "First Orihime asks Nagato if he'll give her away, and now you're asking me to assume the role as your mother. I'm so happy right now," she fanned herself as a new wave of tears threatened to escape her eyes, "I can hardly contain it."

The rest of the day practically flew by as the four finished their lunch and walked down the busy shopping district. Orihime had been dragged into random shops that consisted of dresses, even though she already had her dress picked out, lingerie, and...other stores Ulquiorra had no desire whatsoever to find out what merchandise they sold. During these random shopping events, would take over to a bench or stand next to the store and talk with him.

"Six days, huh?" Mr. Taka asked. "Where are you two planning on having your honeymoon?"

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. "Honeymoon?"

Mr. Taka's eyes widened slightly. "Don't tell me, you don't know what a honeymoon is?"

Ulquiorra shook his head. He knew what honey was, he knew what the moon was, but something told him that a 'honeymoon' was different than what he was imagining.

"Well," Mr. Taka rubbed the back of his head, "I had a hunch you wouldn't know, but I never actually believed that someone your age wouldn't know what a honeymoon was. A honeymoon is where newlyweds go after their wedding to...uh...indulge themselves in the joys of the flesh. If you catch my drift."

Ulquiorra nodded. "It's a place they go to take part in sexual relations."

Mr. Taka flinched slightly at Ulquiorra's blunt explanation. "Yes, well," he coughed awkwardly, "at any rate. I had a feeling that you and Orihime might not have planned a honeymoon," he pulled two slips of paper out of his wallet and handed them to Ulquiorra, "I thought I'd plan a trip for you. You know, as a wedding present."

Ulquiorra took the two slips of paper and stared at them blankly. They were thick, black, laminated pieces of paper with a picture of a brilliant, red rose stamped neatly in the bottom right corner, and had "The Enchanted Rose" written in elegant letters across the top. "Not to sound rude, but what are these?"

"They're tickets for a week stay at The Enchanted Rose," Mr. Taka answered. "It's a very high-class hotel that's nearly impossible to book a room, unless you're rich or famous. My nephew took over the business after my brother passed away six years ago, so I pulled a few strings and had him reserve a special penthouse for you and Orihime."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened immensely. "Mr. Taka, how much money did you pay for this trip?"

Mr. Taka smiled proudly. "I didn't pay a single cent. My no good nephew owes me big for a few...situations I helped him out of when he was younger. I simply 'requested' a room, and here he gave me one of the finest suites in the entire hotel and a limousine to bring you two there when the reception's over."

A slight, awkward smile formed on Ulquiorra's lips as he laughed slightly. "You are one sly old fox, Mr. Taka," he complimented. "I never would have thought a man like you could ever execute such deceptions."

"You forget that I was the commanding officer of my entire platoon during the war," Mr. Taka chuckled. "It's was either learn to deceive those who were closest to you, or die."

Ulquiorra exhaled in silent laughter. He knew exactly how that was. "Thank you, Mr. Taka. I truly appreciate the gift, and I know Orihime will as well." He gently tucked the tickets in his wallet just as Orihime and Mrs. Taka walked out of the lingerie store; each of them were holding two bags in each hand.

"I take it you found something you liked?" Mr. Taka half joked as he and Ulquiorra stared at the eight bags filled with unknown items in both curiosity and slight fear.

"Oh, Orihime just looked so adorable in all of these. I couldn't help but get them for her," Mrs. Taka exclaimed happily. "You'll be thanking me later, Ulquiorra, dear." She winked at him discreetly.

Ulquiorra's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Mr. Taka looked at his watch.

"Well, we better be heading home," he said yawning. "It's getting late." He wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders and carried the four bags of merchandise she had bought for Orihime.

"Now, dear, none of those are mine," Mrs. Taka teased. "You'll have to give them to Orihime when we get back to the apartment."

"I know," Mr. Taka assured. "Besides, you don't need any of these things to get my attention." Mrs. Taka giggled slightly as he kissed her cheek.

Ulquiorra and Orihime shivered slightly at the thought of Mrs. Taka strutting around the small apartment wearing a questionable piece of clothing in front of her husband. It was almost enough to make them both throw up.

"Allow me," Ulquiorra said, quickly grabing the bags Orihime was carrying, as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

Orihime blushed slightly at the feel of his hand gently rubbing her hip as he pulled her close to him. She looked up at him and a wave of desire exploded through her body. The sun was setting behind them, lighting the sky ablaze with bold shades of orange, red, pink, and yellow. The fiery waves of fleeting sunlight were casting shadows where Ulquiorra's shirt contoured to his well toned muscles, and illuminated his face and eyes to the point where they were practically glowing. How she had managed to keep her innocence after all this time, was beyond her.


	2. Those Unexpected

"Smile!" Tatsuki's mom exclaimed, and the two girls dressed in black graduation gowns and hats were blinded by a flash of bright light.

"Mom," Tatsuki shouted, "would you stop doing that? You're embarrassing me!" She ripped her hat off her head and held it in front of her face.

"Sorry, sweetie, I'm just so happy!" Tatsuki's mother wiped a tear from her eye and put her camera back in her purse. She and her daughter were practically mirror images now that Tatsuki had grown her hair out, but their personalities were worlds apart.

She embraced her daughter in a bone crushing hug. "My baby's all grown up and graduated! How can I not be happy?"

Orihime smiled and laughed as Tatsuki struggled to free herself from her mother's clutches. They had just finished the graduation ceremony and everyone in their group had received recognition for their services to the school. For her it was her art and musical talent, and for Tatsuki it was her bold, courageous fighting abilities in gym, Uryu had obtained valedictorian of their class, and Chad was given a special thank you for taking part in so many sports clubs.

Because they had all received special acknowledgments, they were all required to present a speech. Everything had gone well at first. Tatsuki gave her thirty second remark, Chad had somehow gotten everyone in the class to cheer with just a nod and a 'thank you', Uryu had taken the best part of an hour and nearly bored everyone to death, and Orihime had kept everything short, sweet, and to the point. Everything had gone fine, that is, until Ichigo had showed up right in the middle of her speech.

Ichigo had shown up out of nowhere and leaned against a flagpole in the far back, left corner of the designated seating reserved for the graduating class. He looked awful. His eyes were sunken in so far he looked like he had two empty sockets instead of eyes, his face had lost any boyish charm he had and looked like a skeleton, there was a little stubble visible even high up on the podium where Orihime had been giving her speech, his jeans were practically falling off his hips, and his arms and shoulders were covered with so much muscle that they threatened to rip his white and blue stripped shirt and light tan jacket into four separate pieces. He looked like a fate worse than death.

Orihime had paused in mid-sentence and stared at him in horror. Everyone in the crowd, both parents and students alike, had turned in their seats to see what she had been staring at and an earsplitting silence screamed through the audience. It wasn't until Ichigo gave a 'move on' signal to her that she continued speaking.

She did not know what happened to him after that; her eyes never left her paper for the rest of the speech. But she had heard a few of the students say that Ulquiorra, Chad, Uryu, and a few other boys had dragged him off campus, once she sat down. There were a couple other explanations that involved the same boys, but stated that they hauled Ichigo off school grounds and beat him to a bloody pulp before returning to their seats. For some strange reason, she thought that it was probably the latter.

"Orihime," a deep, attractive voice said behind her.

Orihime snapped out of her daze and turned around. Ulquiorra was standing with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his black jeans, wearing a green, dress shirt and a brown, leather jacket. He was staring at her intensely with his bright green eyes.

"Are you-" He did not get to finish his question. Orihime flung her arms around his neck and rubbed her face in his shoulder. He gently wrapped his arms around her shaking frame and gazed down at her.

"Why did he come?" she asked shakily. "He wasn't supposed to get out of jail for another month. His parole shouldn't have started yet."

Ulquiorra stroked her hair and whispered soothingly. "It's alright, Orihime. Do not worry about him. I made sure he would not return to the school, or anywhere else you may be today. You needn't worry about him."

"But," Orihime's hold on his jacket tightened as tears slid down her face, "but the wedding's in five days. What if he decides to show up? What if he tries to mess everything up? What if he tries to kill you while we're standing at the altar?"

"I honestly doubt that he would come to the wedding after two years of sitting in jail just to kill me," Ulquiorra replied. He held the crying red head out slightly and wiped the tears from her eyes. "And if he does, I will just get rid of him."

"Do you promise?" Orihime asked.

Ulquiorra could not help but smile slightly. He kissed the top of her head and nuzzled his face in her hair. "I promise."

Orihime sniffed and smiled into his chest. Of course she was still worried about Ichigo, but Ulquiorra had made a promise. He never went back on a promise.

"You must be Ulquiorra?" Tatsuki's mother exclaimed; dragging the two from their isolated heaven.

Ulquiorra stared blankly at the older version of Tatsuki. "I am."

Tatsuki's mother held her hand out and smiled. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Tatsuki's mother, but you can call me Koharu."

Ulquiorra gently grasped the woman's hand. "The pleasure is mine."

Koharu blushed slightly. "Oh, I have heard such wonderful things about you from both Tatsuki and Orihime. It seems like you're all they talk about whenever Orihime comes over. If it weren't for the fact that you two were getting married here soon, I would've thought that you would have made a fine man for my little girl. You wouldn't happen to have any brothers, would you?"

Tatsuki blushed slightly and punched her mother in the shoulder. "Mom! What the hell? You're talking to Orihime's fiancé!"

"Ow! Tatsuki, it's not polite to hit your mother," Koharu stated and put her daughter in a headlock. "Besides, I am trying to find you a nice, young man like Ulquiorra; seeing as to how you talk about him constantly."

"I do not!" Tatsuki yelled and punched her mother in the ribs.

Ulquiorra and Orihime watched in awkward silence as Tatsuki and her mother brawled like two brothers in the grass. If this was how her mother acted, Ulquiorra was slightly nervous to meet her father.

"What the hell's going on here?" a booming voice exploded like a shot-gun behind them.

Ulquiorra turned around and stared in amazement while Orihime smiled happily at the man in front of them. The man was huge! He put Chad's mountain-like structure to shame. He had spiky, black hair, was a full two, if not three, heads taller than Ulquiorra, had a slight beard, hard eyes, and a body mass that could have taken on five full grown, male tigers on at once. His shirt was practically crying from the strain.

"Oh, hi, Mr.-" Orihime began cheerily, but was cut off by the mountain of a man's middle and index finger covering her whole mouth.

"Please, Orihime, how many times have I told you? Call me Susano," the man boomed. Something told Ulquiorra that this was his "inside voice," though he found that hard to believe.

Orihime beamed up at the tower standing before them. "Right, I'm sorry, Mr.- I mean, Susano."

The man smiled at her. "No problem, Orihime, you're just trying to be polite." He suddenly noticed Ulquiorra's presence and glowered at him. "And, you are?"

"My name is Ulquiorra Schiffer, Sir," Ulquiorra replied, standing erect.

"Aw, so you're Orihime's fiancé?" Susano replied. He looked him up and down in a slightly disapproving manner. "You don't seem like much."

"Not to sound rude, but you would be surprised," Ulquiorra stated bluntly.

"That so?" Susano raised an eyebrow. "Why don't we settle it then?"

"Settle what exactly?" Ulquiorra asked in confusion, though he did not look it.

Orihime pressed her hands to her face. "Oh no, please don't tell me he's planning on doing THAT," she thought in distress.

Susano whipped his shirt off and flexed. There was muscle stacked on top of even harder muscle stacked on top of steel rippling over his arms, chest, shoulders, and neck. "What do you have to say about this?"

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. "I think you are insane for exposing yourself in such a disgusting manner at a school event. There are students around."

"What's the matter?" Susano laughed haughtily. "Are you afraid to show me what you're made of?"

"No. I simply do not wish to take part in such an idiotic competition on who can make themselves look more like a fool," Ulquiorra stated bluntly.

"Come on," Susano taunted. "I dare you!"

Orihime slapped her forehead. That did it.

Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows and closed his eyes slightly. "Was that a challenge?"

Susano smiled slightly. "You bet it was."

"In that case, what are your terms?" Ulquiorra asked, taking off his jacket. He had never backed down from a challenge, and he had never lost a single one. If this man wished to seek defeat at his hand, then so be it.

"One round," Susano held up his index finger, "no shirts, anything goes. The first person to tap out loses. And, boy, I've never tapped out."

Ulquiorra unbuttoned his shirt and folded it before handing his jacket and shirt to Orihime. "Never is an inevitability that was never meant to be."

Susano threw his head back and laughed a booming, thunderous laugh. "The only way you're gonna win this is if you knock me out!"

"Then I hope you enjoy defeat as you loose consciousness," Ulquiorra half taunted, and crouched down into a fighting stance.

"Do you two need to fight here?" Orihime sighed, but didn't have quite the impact she had expected it to have. It was hard to sound serious when she was eying Ulquiorra like a piece of candy. She suddenly wished they were at home with a huge container of vanilla frosting or a can of whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

"Oh, come on, Orihime. You know you like it," a short girl with dark eyes and even darker, short hair teased as she popped up behind her.

"Rukia!" Orihime exclaimed in shock. "When did you get here?"

"When I saw the giant crowd of people standing in a giant circle, I couldn't help but come and see what was going on." Rukia smiled, pointing at the giant hoard of people surrounding them. "It looks like Ulquiorra's getting a lot of bets from the girls while all the men are putting their money on Susano."

Orihime closed her eyes and let her head hang. "Why did he have to challenge him? Why?"

"Shh," Tatsuki hushed, "they're starting!"

Orihime's head snapped up and her eyes grew wide. They weren't just starting. They had already started.

Ulquiorra had waited for the oversized mountain to make the first move. It was not in his nature to rush, and he did not plan on starting now.

Susano lunged at him with his fist in the air. "You're not gonna get anywhere if you just stand there, boy!"

Ulquiorra dodged the attack with ease and swept the man's feet out from under him. He jumped back and circled him as he stood up. For a man his size, he was surprisingly nimble.

The crowd cheered as Ulquiorra watched Susano get up as if nothing had ever happened. This was what he was used to. The cheering, bloodthirsty crowd eging two fighters on as they pummeled each other into the dirt with only their bare hands and their wits. The only difference between what he was doing now, compared to the brawls he had fought when he was one of the captains in the most ruthless band of mercenaries throughout the country, was that he was not allowed to kill this man when he won.

Susano sidestepped and kicked Ulquiorra's legs out from underneath him, however, plan backfired as Ulquiorra somersaulted in the air and brought his foot down on the man's head.

"Dad, what the hell are you doing?" Tatsuki shouted. "Come on, I know you can fight better than that!"

Susano stumbled backwards in a daze and wiped the blood off his lip. The truth was that he couldn't fight better than this. He was pulling every move he knew, including those that were considered completely lethal, and yet Ulquiorra was still beating him like he was a rookie. He had to give the boy credit, if anything, but now he was getting annoyed. It was time he pulled out his ace in the hole.

"Ulquiorra, wasn't it?" Susano asked, and spit a stream of blood from his mouth. "I've gotta hand it to you. You're better than I thought you'd be. But playtime's over," he lunged at him again.

Ulquiorra exhaled through his nose. This man must have been getting desperate. He was executing the same move he had performed at the beginning of the fight. There was no point in letting this match continue.

He dodged the blow easily and kicked Susano's feet out from underneath him. Only this time the man used gravity to his advantage and came plummeting down on top of him. There was an audible snap as his neck cracked under the pressure and he was flattened under the mountain like a penny on the railroad tracks.

Everyone was silent; including Susano as he lifted himself off of his opponent and froze. Ulquiorra's eyes were closed and he wasn't moving so much as a centimeter. That was never a good sign.

Orihime's eyes grew wide in shock. She was watching Ulquiorra's fingers twitch slightly and suddenly go limp.

A man in the crowd took a step into the circle. "Is he?"

Susano was suddenly thrown into the air like a rag doll and Ulquiorra got into a kneeling position just in time to catch him as he came crashing down to the earth.

"One thing I learned over years of fighting," he grunted as he turned his head to look Susano in the eye, "is that you never assume the fight to be over," he lifted the man high over his head as he stood up, "until it's over!" He brought the mountain down on his knee; knocking him out instantly.

There was a moment of silence as Ulquiorra stood up, carrying Susano over his shoulders, and gently set him down at his wife and daughter's feet. "He should wake up if you just dump some water on him."

Tatsuki knelt down next to her unconscious father and slapped him repeatedly. "Wake up, you old coot!"

Susano jerked awake and quickly scanned his surroundings. "Huh, what?" He saw Ulquiorra standing above him and started laughing. "Well, I'll be damned! I can't believe I lost!" He slowly stood up and extended his hand. "You did good, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra shook the man's hand firmly. "Thank you." He rubbed his neck with his free hand and cracked the dislodged disks back into place. He might not have had his immortality anymore, but all those years of training had taught his body to be resilient.

A flash of red-orange hair suddenly tackled Ulquiorra to the ground.

"What is wrong with you?" Orihime scolded. "You scared the life out of me! What would possess you to pretend to be dead like that? Have you lost your mind?"

She never got to finish her rant. Ulquiorra had gotten tired of hearing her yell at him and kissed her to shut her up. It worked a little too well.

He pulled away and was surprised to see a slightly foreign, yet familiar, haze clouding her eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked. The expression she was giving him was beginning to make him nervous.

"Oh, I'm fine," Orihime sighed happily and stood up, "but I'm starting to feel a little dizzy. Do you think we could go home?" There was a playful taunt coating her words as she spoke.

Ulquiorra's eyebrows raised slightly as he stood up and put his shirt and jacket back on. "I do not see why we cannot." He stared at Orihime's slightly blushing face in confusion. "Are you sure you are alright?" he asked, putting his hand to her forehead.

Orihime nuzzled up to his side. "I'm sure. I just feel like going home."

Two streaks of black and a flash of red suddenly bolted past Ulquiorra and dragged Orihime along with them.

"Oh no you don't," Tatsuki scolded. "We had a deal. You didn't want a graduation party and a bacheloret party, so we're going to get you ready for your bacheloret party before you go home and get overly friendly with your fiancé."

"Renji, you, Uryu, and Chad are going to take care of Ulquiorra's bachelor party," Rukia waved as she helped Tatsuki and Chizuru drag a protesting Orihime off the campus with a cloud of dust trailing behind them.

"You got it, babe," Renji saluted.

Ulquiorra stared after the girls in a daze. What the hell were they talking about?

Renji, Chad, and Uryu suddenly grabbed him under the arms and carried him in the opposite direction.

"What the? Put me down!" Ulquiorra ordered. He kicked his legs and pulled against the three boys' firm grasps. "What are you three doing?"

"Come on, Ulquiorra," Renji laughed. "You're getting married in five days. This is gonna be the last time you'll ever be able to cut loose and have a good time!"

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes. Where had he heard that before?

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, Renji's got a point," Uryu agreed. "We know that you're probably not used to this kind of thing, but we still need to get you away from Orihime so she can enjoy her party. You'll see her again later tonight."

"And I suppose that no matter what I do, you will do everything in your power to make sure I "cut-loose" tonight?" Ulquiorra growled.

"Precisely," Uryu affirmed.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and sighed. This was going to be a long night.


	3. Party in Hell

Flashes of blue, red, purple, green, and yellow light scanned the room as a savage, hardcore thunder pounded through speakers mounted towards the tops of pillars holding up the ceiling. There were people of all ages and culture drinking a wide variety of soda, cocktails, jello shots, beer, wine, and strait whiskey. Men dressed in cowboy clothing were dancing with women who looked like they were having a hard time letting go of the eighties, teenagers were dancing with adults, men were having friendly, drunken brawls in the corner, women were cheering on an arm wrestling match, there was a small group of teenagers sitting in the darkest corner of the bar wearing all black, pasty white face paint, black eyeliner and fingernail polish, and fake, vampire teeth. The diversity was almost too much for someone to handle.

Ulquiorra sipped at his glass of water as he watched a half intoxicated Renji make a complete idiot of himself on the lit up dance floor. "Ironic that he is the one enjoying himself the most when this is supposed to be my bachelor party," he said to Uryu sitting next to him.

"I think he's treating this like his party too," Uryu replied, shouting over the music. "He and Rukia are getting married in a couple of months."

"I suppose you are right," Ulquiorra said dully.

Renji had proposed to Rukia only two months after Ulquiorra had asked Orihime to marry him. It was almost a cliché. A woman's friend is proposed to and she is asked to marry her high school sweetheart shortly after. It was like something you either saw in a really corny movie, or a predictable romance novel.

"Whoo!" Renji shouted in Uryu and Ulquiorra's ears as he stumbled over to the bar. "I-I gotta...gotta say," he slurred, "this is...is the best fun I've had since...since Rukia and I got to...together after I came back from being deployed in I-Ireland!" He grabbed Ulquiorra's water and drained it in one gulp.

"Say, Ulquiorra," he said gloomily, "why...why is it that you're not drinkin'? This is your pa...party. Why aren't you drinking? It seems like I...I'm drinkin' more than enough for both...both of us."

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and tried to ignore the toxic fumes emanating from Renji's mouth. He had definitely had too much to drink; three beers, ten jello shots, five tequila shots, two whiskey-sprite cocktails, and one huge Long Island Iced Tea to be exact.

"I do not drink often," Ulquiorra stated bluntly, "even when I was leading a band of mercenaries and we stopped at a tavern. I only drank on the strictest occasions, even then I did not drink much."

"Well, we'd better fix that," Renji beamed at him. He pounded his fist on the counter and held up two fingers in the air. "Miss, excuse me, Miss!"

The waitress behind the bar looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"Can I get two, what do you want, Ulquiorra?" Renji asked.

"I do not want anything other than a new water," Ulquiorra replied.

"Aw, that's no fun!" Renji whined, and turned back to the waitress behind the counter. "Get us two brandies and," he turned to Uryu and Chad, "what d'you guys want?"

"Renji, we're too young to drink," Chad said.

"Besides, one of us needs to be the designated driver," Uryu added.

Renji squinted his eyes together and stuck out his tongue. "Kill joints," he turned back to the waitress, "two brandies and two shots of spearmint schnapps!"

"You got it," the waitress winked. She quickly pulled two glasses off the rack and scooped a small amount of ice in each.

"Renji," Uryu scolded, "Chad and I can't drink. We're only eighteen."

"Nonsense," Renji exclaimed as their drinks came, "tonight's a night for celebration! Everyone has the right to cut loose and PARTY!" He grabbed his brandy and drained it in two swallows.

A hyper, upbeat song played over the speakers and his eyes lit up. "Oh my GOD, this is song rocks!" He sprinted back to the dance floor. That was the twelfth time he had said that tonight.

Chad, Uryu, and Ulquiorra stared at the remaining drinks.

"We can't drink these," Chad informed dully.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and sighed. "True, however," he grabbed the second glass of brandy and held it up at chest level, "if we do not drink them, Renji will." He glanced at the red head ripping his shirt off on the dance floor. His tattoos made him look like a red haired zebra. "I do not think he needs any more alcohol."

Uryu and Chad stared at their highly intoxicated friend dancing shirtless like an idiot. "Agreed," they replied in unison. They each took a shot glass filled with spearmint schnapps.

"I refuse to be the first one to taint my reputation by doing this," Uryu informed.

"Hm," Chad agreed.

Ulquiorra sighed and drained his brandy in one shot. "There," he set the ice filled glass on the bar, "your turn."

Uryu and Chad stared at him in disbelief.

"How did you drink that so fast and just sit there like it was nothing?" Uryu asked appalled. "I thought you said you didn't drink."

"I said that I did not drink often," Ulquiorra corrected. "My family just happens to have a naturally high tolerance to such substances."

Chad stared at his drink for a minute and quickly drank the small glass' contents in one shot.

Uryu sighed in defeat. "If either of you tell anyone about this, I will personally make your lives hell."

"There is nothing you could do that would ever be worse than what Lied did to me," Ulquiorra informed. He turned around on his stool and leaned his back against the bar. "But your secret is safe with me."

Uryu glanced up at Chad. The tall, dark haired man nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then," he said, "here goes nothing." He plugged his nose and drained the small glass in two swallows. His eyes immediately widened and he started coughing.

"If I recall, you are supposed to drink shots in one swallow," Ulquiorra taunted.

"No one asked you, Schiffer," Uryu coughed.

Chad patted the blue haired boy on the back. "He does have a point, Uryu."

Uryu was about to say something when Renji suddenly flew into the bar between them.

"Holy shit," he coughed as he stood up off the floor, "note to self: don't piss off a cowboy by making fun of his belt buckle." He shook his head and smiled down at the empty glasses. "Well, well, well, it looks like you boys drank 'em after all."

"It was either we do or you do," Uryu informed, coughing slightly. "I would prefer not to do it again."

Chad nodded in agreement.

"Fine," Renji exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. He had somehow lost his shirt completely in all the excitement. "But I'm sure my buddy, Ulquiorra, here'll be glad to have another drink with me," he shouted, wrapping his arm over Ulquiorra's shoulders and leaning against him.

"I would rather not, however, one more would not hurt," Ulquiorra said quickly. He would have said anything to get Renji off of him. He was getting clingy and a bit friendly. The feeling of his hand gently stroking his abs was proof.

"'Atta boy, Ulquiorra," Renji slurred, making it nearly impossible for any of them to understand him. He pounded his fist on the counter and held up two fingers. "Miss, two Jack Daniel's on the rocks!"

The drinks came quickly. Renji drank his as if it were water before heading back onto the dance floor. Ulquiorra, however, drank his a bit more hesitantly. He wondered if Orihime was being as tortured as he was.

* * *

There were cat-calls and high-pitched giggling coming from every table in the room as men walked around shirtless, wearing black, dress pants, white shirt cuffs, and black ties. The lights were casting a bluish hue over the white tables, floor, and people, causing everyone to change color like chameleons. Music was blaring from the speakers up on a small podium where two of the shirtless waiters were singing karaoke. And, sitting at a table perched on top of a platform, Orihime was blushing a bright purple in complete an utter embarrassment.

She, Lied, and Tatsuki had been under the influence that Rukia and Chizuru were taking them to a normal restaurant, but instead they had been dragged to a bar that was just under the line of male strip club. Lied was sitting on her right with her arms crossed, eyes closed, and a slight blush tinting her cheek, Tatsuki was on her left, forcing a smile and trying to have fun, while Rukia was whistling at the men passing by their table and asking them to 'entertain' the bride-to-be, even Chizuru was enjoying herself as she scoped out the few female waitresses in the building. There was no way she could be any more humiliated.

The two men on stage finished singing and a new man, who looked like a blonde version of Ichigo before he went to jail, took over the microphone.

"Alright," he said in an excited, seductive tone, "it's time for our hourly Two to Tango Lottery draw!"

There was an eruption of applause.

The man smiled. "Calm down, ladies. I'm sure my co-workers will be more than happy to take care of you, because the lucky winner of this specific lottery has already been decided."

The light suddenly shifted to Orihime. She stood corrected. Now there was no way she could be any more humiliated.

"We've had a special request by this beautiful, young woman's friend to have her take part in our little raffle," the blonde exclaimed. "Apparently she's going to be married here in a few days, and she decided to spend her bachelorette party here at The Cabana. So let me be the first to say congratulations," he clapped and everyone in the building followed suit, "and second," he waved his hand towards the stage, "Orihime Inoue, come on up!"

Orihime blushed neon red and shook her head, holding her hands out in front of her like a shield.

"Aw," the man cooed, "she's shy. Let's give her a little motivation!"

The crowd of people erupted in applause. There was no way they were going to leave her alone unless she got up on stage. But she had no idea what the Two to Tango Lottery was, what if it was something horrible?

Orihime was suddenly ripped from her thoughts as two men, one with cropped, brown hair and one with shaggy, auburn hair, and a slight goatee lifted her up out of her chair and carried her on stage.

"Here she is, folks," the blonde laughed. "The lucky lady of the hour. Now we all know your name, but I'm curious. What's the name of your fiancé?" He tilted the microphone towards her.

"M-My fiancé? His name's Ulquiorra," Orihime stuttered slightly as her blush intensified.

The man whistled. "Ulquiorra, huh? Now, tell me, is Ulquiorra a nice man?"

"Of course," Orihime exclaimed.

"Of course he is," the man smiled. "If he wasn't you wouldn't be marrying him, would you?"

The crowd erupted with laughter.

"Now, Orihime," the blonde wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "I understand that this next question might be a little uncomfortable, so you don't have to answer it if you don't want to. But if you start to answer it and decide to stop in mid-sentence, you'll have to finish your explanation. Do you think you can handle those terms?"

Orihime raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I guess so."

"Perfect," the man exclaimed and squeezed her tightly. "Now, I'm sure everyone here is just dying to know, it's not just me. Think of your most intimate moment with Ulquiorra."

"Um...w-why?" Orihime stuttered, blushing madly.

"Humor me," the blonde said.

It didn't take Orihime long to think of her most sensual moment with Ulquiorra. That was the night they had shared together before the play nearly two years ago, hands down. Just thinking about it caused her to smile slightly and blush a rosy red color.

"I take it you have your intimate moment?" the blonde man teased.

Orihime averted her eyes and nodded.

The blonde turned her attention to the crowd. "Now, I'm sure you and Ulquiorra have had your 'fun', or at least you've had a taste of the wild side, right? So, tell me, does he tend to be more gentle or rough at the stake?"

Orihime's eyes shot open and she snapped her head towards him. "What?"

"It's a simple question," the blonde smirked. "Is Ulquiorra a skilled maintenance worker who's professionally trimmed the rose bush, or is he a gentle gardener who's only scanned the buds, waiting until just the right moment to tenderly groom that beautiful, red rose?"

Orihime's jaw practically broke a hole through the stage. Was this man actually asking her about her and Ulquiorra's...bedroom experience? How could anyone have the audacity to ask something so personal?

"Uh, well, you see," she stuttered. Her face was blood red and she was playing with her shirt sleeve. "It's not like that. W-we've never actually...well, what I mean is," she took a deep breath, "I...I would have to say that he's more of a gentle gardener."

Her answer had been barely more than a whisper, yet somehow everyone in the building had heard her. They all exploded with applause and cat-calls. How could this get any worse?

The blonde man stood up and laughed. "He sounds like a true gentleman! But enough of that," he signaled to the DJ and a very sensual, upbeat music pounded throughout the room, "it's time we gave our lotto winner her prize!"

The audience cheered as the lights dimmed and flashes of red, pink, blue, and white light crisscrossed on stage. Two more men came up on stage as the blonde slipped away and danced around Orihime in very awkward movements. She wondered if Ulquiorra was being as tortured as she was.

* * *

Ulquiorra stumbled through the door of the apartment as he struggled to find the light switch. He was not drunk, but he was the most intoxicated he had ever been in his entire life. Renji had kept ordering drinks, and he had kept drinking them to keep the red haired idiot from going to the hospital from alcohol poisoning. By the fifth drink the entire night, he had finally had enough and started pouring them in the garbage can.

He kicked off his shoes and slowly made his way back to the bedroom. Now he remembered why he never drank more than one or two drinks when he was a mercenary. It caused you to feel absolutely miserable once the effects wore off.

He stripped himself of his socks, jacket, and shirt, and face planted on the fluffy, hot pink comforter. A sudden wave of nausea pelted through him upon landing and he quickly rushed to the bathroom just in time to throw up in the sink. True, he had a high tolerance, but whatever it was that Renji had kept ordering had been more than he could handle.

He waited until the nausea faded completely before brushing his teeth, gargling with mouth wash, and returning to bed. He turned his head to look at the glowing numbers on Orihime's alarm clock. It was four-twenty in the morning. Where was she?

The bed, along with the rest of the apartment, felt uncomfortably empty without Orihime's presence. There was no warmth radiating beside him. No light snoring or incoherent mumbling. No intoxicating smell of strawberries filling his head. It was just empty, hollow.

There was an inaudible click as the front door closed and locked silently. If it had been someone else, they would have never heard it or would have dismissed the thought entirely. But this was Ulquiorra, he knew every noise in the house, and he knew that the almost nonexistent click that had sounded through the apartment was from the woman coming home.

Orihime tripped over Ulquiorra's shoes in the entryway as she dragged her feet through the apartment. That had been the worst night of her life. She was tired and reeked of cologne. All she wanted to do was crawl in bed next to Ulquiorra and go to sleep.

She quietly tip-toed down the hall and slowly opened the door to their bedroom. He was home, and by the looks of it she wasn't the only one who had a rough night. His hair was all messed up, his shirt was severely wrinkled and lying on top of his jacket on the floor, and his black jeans had slightly discolored stains. If anything, he looked worse than she did.

Ulquiorra peered out of the corner of his eye as Orihime quietly crept into the room and collapsed onto the bed, using his chest for a pillow and resting her hand on his stomach. He gently stroked her hair and breathed in the heavenly aroma of fresh strawberries; gagging slightly at the heavy scent of cheap cologne. "Did you have fun?"

Orihime nuzzled her face into his chest and wrinkled her nose at the nearly fatal smell of alcohol. "No. You?"

"No."

They laid in silence for a while. This was probably the only thing they enjoyed out of the entire night. Lying in bed with only each others company, it was utter bliss.

Orihime rolled over slightly so her leg was wrapped over Ulquiorra's and half of her body was lying gently on his. He covered them up in the pink comforter and smiled down at her.

"Congratulations on graduating, Orihime," he complimented. "Your speech went well."

She didn't answer. She was already asleep.

Ulquiorra lidded his eyes slightly and kissed the top of her head. "I probably should have done that before we were kidnapped," he thought, and closed his eyes.

It had been a rough night, and he needed all the rest he could get. After all, the wedding was in four days. Who knew how fast time was willing to go to make sure they both got as little sleep as possible?


	4. Something Borrowed? Here, Take My Dagger

Orihime crashed through the dark purple curtains and nearly ripped them off their rings. Her hair was slightly curled and looked like smooth, gentle waves of orange as she clung enough of the drapery around her body to cover most of her naked figure. "I can't do this!"

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow at her. "Can't do what?"

"This," Orihime exclaimed, pressing the purple fabric to her eyes. "I just can't do this! I'm so nervous!" She shook her head violently, ripping the curtain even more.

"Hey, Orihime, careful!" Tatsuki shouted. "Those aren't our curtains you know!"

Orihime stopped thrashing her head and pressed the purple drapes closer to her body. "I just can't do this, Tatsuki! I just can't," she whispered, and disappeared behind the severely demolished curtains.

"What are you raving about?" Tatsuki sighed. She tugged on the strap of her black dress in frustration. The straps were too thin, the hem was too short, not as short as her uniform skirt but it still just barely covered her knees, and the black heels she was wearing were slicing into her feet and breaking her ankles. Why had she accepted to be Orihime's Maid of Honor again?

She stepped through the curtains, trying not to damage them any more than they already were, and stared in disbelief. Orihime was slumped in a chair, wearing only her strapless, lavender bra, and lavender panties, and holding her dress to her chest like a blanket. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as an occasional hiccup escaped her throat.

"What the hell are you doing, Orihime?" she scolded. "You've got to be ready in a half hour!"

Orihime rubbed her face in the silky, cream colored dress in her arms. "I can't do it," she hiccuped. "I...I just can't go through with this! I'm so nervous! What if I mess up? What if Ulquiorra decides that this was a bad idea and leaves? What if-"

Tatsuki slapped her across the face. "Snap out of it! Do you hear yourself? You're actually saying that you're doubting, not only Ulquiorra's feelings for you, but how you feel towards him! Pull yourself together!"

Orihime gently pressed her fingers to her burning cheek and stared at her friend in shock. "But-"

"No buts," Tatsuki drew her hand back, "if I hear so much as one more doubt come out of your mouth. I'll slap you so hard your lip will bleed. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Orihime exclaimed. She sat up straight in her chair and immediately stopped crying.

Tatsuki nodded her head. "Good, now listen to me, Orihime. You love Ulquiorra, right?"

"Right," Orihime nodded.

"And you want to spend the rest of your life with him, right?"

"Right."

"Then what makes you think that you can't go through with this?" Tatsuki asked irritably. "You love him, he loves you, and God knows what you two have or haven't done together. What's the problem?"

Orihime stared down at her lap. "I...I don't know. I'm just so nervous about the whole thing."

"Of course you're nervous," Tatsuki huffed. "Can you think of a single woman who wasn't nervous on her wedding day? If you say yes, I'll slap you again because you're lying." She pulled a chair up and sat down next to Orihime.

"It's okay to be nervous. You don't need to feel bad about that. Do you know how many times my mom's told me that she almost ended up being a runaway bride because she was so nervous? I could practically repeat the story word per word. It's okay to be nervous."

She patted Orihime on the shoulder. "Now, how about I go and get some ice so we can get the swelling in your cheek down before people think Ulquiorra beats you. I'll also go get Rukia so she can work on your make-up. We've got," she stared down at her watch and her eyes snapped open, "time."

Orihime watched her sprint through the curtains and heard the door slam. She stood up and slipped the dress on.

If only it was so much as nerves, she hadn't seen Ulquiorra in two days because Lied had suggested it. She had said that it would fuel the fire between them. It had fueled something alright, but not any romantic flame she had towards him. Instead it had done the exact opposite and intensified her anxiety.

She stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself in surprise. She actually looked good. The straps lightly wrapped over her shoulders like a comfortable, silky t-shirt, and the dress gently hugged her every curve as it trailed down her hourglass figure to her mid thigh, where it hung listlessly down past her ankles, the neatly embroidered pattern running along her bust and waist seemed to make her stomach appear smaller, but not make her chest appear larger than it already was, though that would have been quite a trick if it had, and the cream color accented her hair in a type of radiant glow. To say that she looked good would have been an insult.

Tatsuki and Rukia returned moments later and gasped.

"W-What is it?" Orihime exclaimed and turned around to look at herself at every angle. "Is something wrong with the dress? Do I honestly look bad in it? I thought it looked really nice when I bought it, but I never saw myself in it until now!"

Rukia wrapped her arms around her neck and squealed. "Orihime, you look absolutely gorgeous!" She held her out at arms length. "Oh, I almost feel bad that the dress is going to get ripped to shreds the minute you and Ulquiorra are alone."

Orihime blushed bright red. She hadn't even thought about what Ulquiorra might think of her once he saw her in this. He had never seen the dress; much less her wearing it.

"Do you really think he'll like it?" She asked in an embarrassed whisper.

"Like it? Honey, he's going to rip it to shreds the second you two are alone in the bedroom because he won't be able to get it off of you fast enough," Rukia said in a horrible southern accent.

Orihime stared at the floor in embarrassment and gently nibbled on her lip. Would Ulquiorra really be that that rough? They had never actually done it before, but that night before the play had shown her that he was gentler than he looked. She wondered if he really would act a little more untamed, and was slightly excited by the thought.

"Uh-oh," Tatsuki teased, "I wonder what Orihime's thinking about."

"I don't know," Rukia replied playfully. "But I think it might have something to do with a certain green eyed gentleman waiting for her in the next room."

Orihime stared wide eyed at her maid of honor and bride's maid and waved her hands frantically in front of her. "N-no! I wasn't thinking anything like that at all! I swear!"

"Relax, Orihime," Tatsuki laughed. "We're just teasing you a little bit. You don't have to get all defensive."

Rukia pushed Orihime back into the chair and dug her make-up kit out of her purse. "Alright, try to hold still. I'm not going to put on too much, but I think a little mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, and blush will just make all your facial features just pop!"

Tatsuki crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "You honestly think she needs blush? I don't even know what that is and I know damn well that that's the last thing she needs."

"Good point," Rukia admitted as she gently brushed Orihime's eyelashes with a small, black bristled toothpick. She had to physically hold her eyes open so she could get the black substance on her lashes. "Would you stop blinking?"

"I can't help it," Orihime cried. "You've got that thing way to close to my eye!"

Rukia finished with the mascara and started dusting the young bride's eyelids with a silvery powder. "I'll just skip the eyeliner, seeing as you probably won't hold still long enough for me to put it on you anyway. Keep your eyes closed."

Orihime did as she was instructed. The duster tickled her skin and she started to giggle.

"Orihime, hold still," Rukia snapped. "I'm almost done."

"Sorry, Rukia," Orihime apologized. "It just tickles."

Rukia finished applying the eyeshadow and jerked her out of the chair. "There, now take a look." She pushed her in front of the mirror and she gasped. The small amount of make-up, plus the natural blush, did make everything pop.

Tatsuki scanned her over from top to bottom. "Alright, you've got something old," she pulled a veil out from behind her, it was on a silver hair pick that had Orihime's light blue hairpins attached to it in the middle, and gently tucked it in her hair. "Something new," she pointed to the dress, "now all you need is something borrowed and you've got it made."

Orihime flipped the veil over the back of her head. "But what do I have that's blue?"

"Your hairpins count as something old and blue," Tatsuki sighed and slapped her upside the head.

"But I don't have anything that's borrowed," Orihime shrieked. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Here," Rukia dug into her purse and pulled out a silver necklace, "now you have something borrowed. Don't worry about giving it back. I was going to give it to you anyway."

Orihime took the thin, silver necklace and clipped it around her neck. It was beautiful. The design was simple, yet elegant, and didn't draw the eye away from the dress. If anything, it tied the entire outfit together.

"Rukia, thank you!" She flung her arms around her friend's neck and hugged her tightly. "But will it count as something borrowed if you're giving it to me anyway?"

"Sure it will," Rukia exclaimed. "I'm letting you borrow it for the wedding. After this is done, I'll simply say that it's yours to keep." She smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. "I probably shouldn't have said that I was going to give it to you though."

Orihime hugged her a second time before sitting down in the chair. "How much time do we have?"

Tatsuki glanced down at her watch. "Ten minutes, but," she went over to her gym bag and pulled out a small, white elastic band covered with lace, "we can't have you going down the isle without your garter on." She knelt down in front of Orihime and quickly slipped the small band around her upper thigh before she could protest.

"Exactly what is the point of wearing this thing?" Orihime asked, blushing slightly.

"The groom gets to take it off the bride during the reception," Rukia replied slyly. "Some guys take it off slowly with their hands, but others tend to pull it off with their teeth."

Orihime fainted slightly in her seat. The thought of Ulquiorra's lips being so close to her thigh like that had been too much.

"Nice going, Rukia," Tatsuki punched the short, black haired girl in the arm, "now we have to wake her up. We've got less then five minutes before the wedding starts!"

Orihime was barely conscious. Less then five minutes; in less then five minutes the wedding would be starting. In less then five minutes she would be walking down the isle with Mr. Taka by her side to commit herself to the one man she truly loved. She suddenly felt happy and nauseous at the same time.

* * *

Ulquiorra buttoned and unbuttoned his coat for the tenth time in three minutes and readjusted his already ruler strait cuffs. He could not decide whether or not to leave his jacket buttoned and his cufflinks always appeared crooked. If Uryu had no cut off his access to the mirror, he would be trying to figure out a way to fix his already picture perfect hair and be considering on brushing his teeth for the twentieth time in ten minutes.

He smelled his jacket and reached for one of the bottles of cologne sitting on the mirror less vanity. One spritz was all he needed. Anything more than that and he would smell like, but which one should he use? There were so many different kinds that Uryu and Chad had brought. Which one would Orihime prefer?

Uryu slipped into the room. " We've got five more minutes, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra jumped slightly at the sudden sound of another person's voice and leaned over the vanity. "Do not sneak up on me like that," he warned, grabbing another container of cologne and smelling the cap; too musky.

"Sorry," Uryu apologized with fake sincerity. He walked over to the vanity and watched a very shaken Ulquiorra sniff cap after cap of cologne. "What are you doing?"

"I am trying to decide which of these cursed things to use," Ulquiorra replied a little less calmly than he had wanted. His voice had shaken ever so slightly as he smelled the blue bottle's cap for the third time. How had he forgotten to bring his cologne from home? Orihime liked that one.

"Are you honestly so nervous about choosing the cologne Orihime would like?" Uryu sighed.

"No. I just wish to smell as good as a man should on the day of his wedding," Ulquiorra lied. He was surprised how well he had been able to make such a ridiculous lie believable.

He put the bottle down on the vanity and gripped the edges of the table. He had never been so nervous in his life. Even when he was younger and would dread the day where he inherited his father's kingdom, he was nowhere near as anxious as he was right now.

Uryu sighed and slipped a bottle of his most detestable cologne into his pocket. "You showered, right?"

"Of course," Ulquiorra replied.

"And you used some kind of soap to wash yourself, and shampoo to wash your hair?" Uryu interrogated.

"I may have been raised in a time where baths were scarce luxuries, but I do know how to cleanse myself," Ulquiorra said. There was a hint of malice in his voice as he stood up. He buttoned and unbuttoned his coat again.

"Did you put on deoderant after you dried yourself off?" Uryu continued.

Ulquiorra ripped off his black coat, revealing his cream colored vest, black tie, and bare arms, and lifted his hands high in the air. "Would you care to smell me? I am growing quite tired of these questions."

"Calm down," Uryu advised, motioning for Ulquiorra to lower his arms. "I was just making sure you used them. I might have something you could use that will make Orihime nearly faint because of how good it smells. The only problem is that it depends on whether or not you washed yourself thoroughly or not. If you didn't, it will have the reverse affect and make you smell horrible."

Ulquiorra slipped his coat back on and straightened his collar and cufflinks with a paranoid vigor. "Is that so?"

Uryu nodded. "Yes. If you wait here for just a second, I will go get it."

"Very well," Ulquiorra replied. He was more concerned with getting his collar fixed than the cologne.

Uryu left the room and sprinted into the restroom across the hall. He quickly uncapped the cologne bottle and dumped its contents down the sink; washing it thoroughly of the disgusting smell before filling it with cool water. He ran back into the room where Ulquiorra was back to worrying about whether or not to button his jacket and held up the blue bottle. "Here it is."

Ulquiorra stared at the bottle skeptically and reached for it.

"Unfortunately," Uryu began as he pulled the bottle out of his reach, "it is very potent for the first minute or so. You will have to hold your breath as I spray it on you or else you will most likely pass out."

"That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever," Ulquiorra stated bluntly.

"I suppose it doesn't," Uryu agreed. "But are you going to risk passing out and missing your own wedding? You wouldn't want Orihime to be waiting for you at the altar, would you?"

That was check mate. He had Ulquiorra and they both knew it.

Ulquiorra stared at the bottle hesitantly and sighed. "Alright," he held his breath, "proceed." Uryu quickly spritzed the water on his neck and he felt his skin prickle at the sudden coolness.

"Just hold your breath a little while longer," Uryu informed, and checked his watch. "Didn't you say that your 'best man' was going to be here soon?"

Ulquiorra nodded.

"Well, where is he?" Uryu held up his watch and tapped the glass. "It's almost time to start."

A fairly tall and sturdy man with long, white hair tied at the nape of his neck, wearing black pants, leather shoes, and a black, dress coat suddenly burst into the room and slammed the door behind him. He had midnight blue eyes, a slight, white stubble coating his chin, and looked like he had just been attacked by a hoard of raving, teenaged girls. He stood up, adjusting his coat, and walked over to the Uryu and the nearly blacked out Ulquiorra.

"I apologize for being late, Ulquiorra," he said in a fairly deep, melodic voice that sounded slightly familiar. "Actually, why am I apologizing? Do you have any idea what kind of hell I went through just trying to walk down the hall? I swear; young ladies these days. All they think about is sex and banging the first attractive man they see; even if the man they see is not even a male!"

Uryu's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Lied?"

The man smiled at him. "Well, hello, Uryu, I am glad to see you here. However, I do insist that you call me Cane. People may get suspicious if you call me by my birth name."

Uryu's jaw hit the ground at the same time Ulquiorra passed out due to lack of oxygen.

Lied quickly knelt down by his side and slapped him repeatedly. "Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra, wake up!"

Ulquiorra quickly opened his eyes and punched Uryu square in the jaw. "That is for not telling me when it was safe to breathe again."

Lied raised an eyebrow. "I have a strange feeling that I do not want to know." She helped Ulquiorra to his feet and dusted off his shoulders. "Are you ready?"

"I suppose so," Ulquiorra replied, fixing his hair. "Do I look presentable?"

"Let me see," Lied took a step back and looked him up and down. "Just one thing," she buttoned his jacket up halfway and smiled, "there. Now Orihime will hardly be able to keep her hands off you."

Ulquiorra smiled slightly. "How much time do we have?"

Uryu snapped out of his daze and checked his watch. "We had better get outside. We've got one minute before you need to be at the altar."

Lied, Ulquiorra, and Uryu quickly made their way down the hall towards the doors leading outside. It was just getting dark outside and the sky was a deep bluish-black with a few stars illuminating the night along with the moon.

Chad joined the group at the door and stared at Lied. "Who's this guy?"

"Hey, Chad," Lied smiled and winked, "it's me! What do you think? I make a fairly hansom man, do I not?"

Chad's eyes snapped open in shock. "Lied? How did you turn yourself into a man, and, why?"

"I'm beginning to wonder why I'm a man myself," Lied said begrudgingly, glaring at Ulquiorra. "Orihime wanted to have Tatsuki, Rukia, Chizuru, and I in the wedding, but Ulquiorra only had you and Uryu on his side. So this man," she put her hand on Ulquiorra's shoulder and dug her nails into his flesh, "came to me and asked if there was any way for me to morph into a male. One thing led to another, and now I am his best man."

Chad and Uryu glanced back and forth between Ulquiorra and Lied. Who would have thought that Ulquiorra could ever talk someone into changing their gender just for a wedding?

"Yes, however, Orihime, Lied, and I are the only ones who knew about this up until now," Ulquiorra informed as they walked down the cement walkway to the glowing gazebo. "It would be very much appreciated if you two would call her Cane from now on and tried not to make any implications that she is indeed a woman."

"Uh, sure," Uryu agreed, "but is she going to be turning back into a girl sometime later tonight?"

Lied laughed a very feminine giggle. "What's wrong, Uryu? Did you wish to dance with me this evening?"

Uryu and Chad blushed slightly and looked towards the gazebo.

"Well, do not worry," Lied answered. "I plan on turning back into my feminine self once the reception dinner is over. I still have to sing for the newly weds' dance. And, also, I cannot stand how many girls have made a move on me. It's disgusting!"

Lied, Chad, and Uryu stood waited next to Tatsukik Rukia, and Chizuru at the designated area for the bride's maids and groom's men to begin walking down towards the altar. They all gave Ulquiorra a pat on the back in support and he walked down the isle alone. This was the most nerve racking moment of his life.

Orihime watched anxiously as Tatsuki and Lied, or Cane as it were, walk up the isle and disappear under the low hanging branches littered with white, cord lights with Uryu and Rukia, and Chizuru and Chad following close behind. She couldn't stop shaking.

"Are you alright, Orihime?" Mr. Taka asked. He was wearing a black tux with a gray vest on underneath. His wife had talked him into shaving before the wedding and he had definitely overdosed on the cologne.

"I'm fine," Orihime said shakily. Her teeth were chattering and her palms were sweaty.

Mr. Taka gently placed his warm hands on her shoulders. "Relax, you'll be fine."

Orihime calmed down somewhat. She placed her hand over his and took deep, soothing breaths. "I think I'm going to faint."

"If you're going to faint, then faint. I'm still going to see to it that you get down that isle," Mr. Taka laughed.

Orihime covered her mouth and giggled. The thought of Mr. Taka carrying her unconscious body to the alter was so silly. She doubted that he could even handle her weight.

"There's that smile I've been looking for," Mr. Taka pointed at her face and smiled. "How do you feel now?"

"Better," Orihime laughed slightly, "thank you."

"You're welcome," Mr. Taka replied. Music suddenly echoed through the still night and he held out his arm. "That's your cue."

Orihime took his arm and exhaled. This was it.

Mr. Taka led her down the well lit sidewalk like a show dog around a judging platform. She stared up at the twinkling lights hanging in the trees and draped over the eve of the gazebo and gasped in awe. The night was cool, the stars were shining brightly in the dark bluish-black sky, the moon was full, she could see the occasional bat swooping just out of range of the soft, white glow of the lights to catch the few bugs that were floating lazily around the hypnotizing light, and fireflies were coasting through the air as if to guide her down the isle, and the piano playing softly in the background was enough to ease her of her fears and anxieties. Thinking about how nervous she was just a few minutes ago was almost enough to make her laugh; how could she have been so worried on her wedding day?

They reached the entrance of the gazebo and Orihime's eyes widened slightly. Ulquiorra was standing at the end of the isle. His black hair seemed to repel the glow from the lights and surround him in a halo of heavenly light, his brilliant green eyes seemed to cut through the air as they tried to find her, and his suit was so crisp and clean that she could hardly believe that it had once been her brother's. He looked almost too perfect to be real. Could she be dreaming?

Lied elbowed Ulquiorra and nodded down the isle.

Ulquiorra gazed down the walkway and his breath caught in his throat. Orihime was walking towards him with Mr. Taka leading the way.

She looked beautiful. The cream colored dress cascaded over her hourglass figure and reflected the lights to make it shimmer with a silver glow, her orange-red hair fell neatly over her shoulders in wave after wave of flame, her face was slightly hidden behind her veil but he could still see the blush coloring her cheek and the silver eyeshadow illuminating her starry gray eyes. It was as if heaven had opened it's gates and allowed him to marry an angel.

There were tears in Mr. Taka's eyes as he gently placed Orihime's hands in Ulquiorra's and took a seat next to his wife. She was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and smiling as if she was watching her child's wedding.

Ulquiorra stared into Orihime's starlit eyes and was suddenly in a completely different universe. It was just the two of them. There was no one sitting in the seats watching them. Tatsuki, Rukia, and Chizuru were not bouncing eagerly behind his bride, and Lied, Uryu, and Chad were not standing behind him. It was just the two of them.

Someone nudged his ribs and he turned. Lied was trying to hold back a laugh as she held up Orihime's ring.

Ulquiorra blushed slightly as he took the small, silver band with a rose cut diamond set neatly on top and turned back towards Orihime. The pastor instructed him through the process of stating the traditional vows and slipped the ring on her finger.

Orihime stared down at her hands as she unconsciously stated her vows and placed Ulquiorra's old ring on his finger. Her mind had somehow skipped to a different time where Ulquiorra would have taken throne of an entire kingdom just by looking at the four-hundred year old, silver ring. It somehow seemed to sparkle with delight as it was slipped back on its masters finger once again.

"Miss Inoue," the pastor nearly yelled.

"Huh?" Orihime's head snapped up and she stared at the slightly plump man wearing a ceremonial robe. "What?"

"Do you take Ulquiorra as your husband?" the man asked irritably. He had been trying to get her attention for the past three minutes.

Orihime blushed bright red and stared up at Ulquiorra. There was a worried look in his eyes.

She smiled slightly and fought back the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes. "I do."

There was an audible exhale coming from, not only the guests, but from Tatsuki, Rukia, Chizuru, Lied, Uryu, Chad, the pastor, and even Ulquiorra. Seeing the bride staring down at her hands for three minutes straight without any reply wasn't something people thought was a good sign.

The pastor cleared his throat. "And do you, Ulquiorra, take Orihime to be your wife, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Ulquiorra smiled down into Orihime's eyes. "I do."

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife," the pastor closed his book. "You may kiss the bride."

Ulquiorra did not have to be told twice. He quickly lifted the veil obscuring his bride's beautiful face and kissed her passionately.

Everyone in the crowd erupted in applause. There was so much excitement in the air that no one noticed a man with shaggy, gray-black hair sitting in the far back on the groom's side stand up and slip out of the glow radiating from hanging lights. That is, no one except for one.

Lied watched the man disappear into the darkness looming just outside the ring of light and happiness. She knew every last person who was invited to the wedding by name and face, but this man did not register in her mind at all.

She leaned backwards just enough to whisper in Uryu's ear so no one else heard. "I will be right back."

Uryu raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

"I have to check on something," she whispered in reply, and silently slipped out of the gazebo without anyone noticing.

The gray-black haired man walked hastily to the cover of the trees and held up his hand. A black and gray bat landed in his palm and he tied a rolled up piece of paper to it's foot. "Take this to the Lord."

The bat shrieked in reply and quickly flew out of his hand. It disappeared into the trees and screamed in agony before falling dead at the stranger's feet.

"What the hell?" the man cursed. He was suddenly stabbed in the shoulder and pinned to a tree. "God, dammit!"

The pain flowing from his shoulder was immense. Blood slowly oozed from his mouth and dripped from the dagger buried deep within his breast. He recognized the emblem engraved on the hilt and slowly looked up. There was a woman with snow white hair and glowing, midnight blue eyes glaring at him in disgust.

"Lied, it has been awhile," the man smiled. "I thought that man standing next to the captain looked familiar. How did he persuade you into turning into a gentleman?"

Lied twisted the dagger and the man grunted in agony. "Do not test me, Dublin. What business do you have here? Ulquiorra believes that you, along with the rest of his men, are dead. You have no reason to be here."

The man smirked and spat blood on her face. "I am here because my lord and master ordered me to come."

Lied's eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter. "Your lord and master ordered you to come?"

The man nodded.

"You lie," Lied dug the dagger deeper into the man's chest and bared her teeth at him. "I killed him centuries ago. There is no way he could still be alive."

"I speak the truth," the man whispered painfully. "He ordered that I come here and witness his most trusted soldier's wedding. Once the ceremony was complete, I was to send back a report stating what I have seen." He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Lied.

"He also told me to give you this if I saw you," he explained. Lied took the letter and opened it; a small coin fell out of the envelope. "It would seem that he still has not gotten over your little betrayal four-hundred years ago. However, he is willing to forgive you and take you back under his wing."

Lied's eyes narrowed in fury as she read the message safely secured inside the envelope and dug the dagger deeper into the man's shoulder. "If he is still alive, then he has already seen everything he needed to see. It is most likely that he sent you here as a sacrificial messenger to die at my hand."

"That could be," the man laughed, "but it does not matter to me whether or not I was used as a sacrificial lamb being thrown into the lioness' den; for I am no longer immortal. I have no desire to grow old and brittle. I would rather die as a strong, healthy man who knows his place."

"You are no longer immortal?" Lied backed up half a step and retracted the dagger. "What do you mean by that? Your master cursed all of his men to an eternity of hell with no means of returning to their mortal selves."

The man slumped onto the ground at the base of the tree. "He is loosing his power," he said quickly. "But he is trying to restore himself to his former glory, and he is planning on using Ulquiorra and his new bride to do it."

Lied picked the man up and slammed him into the tree again. "Tell me how."

"I cannot," the man laughed. "For if I do, I will be killed."

"If you do not, you will be killed in the most gruesome way imaginable." Lied ran the dagger through the middle of his sternum. "Tell me how he is planning on regaining his power by using Ulquiorra and Orihime! Tell me now dammit!"

The man chuckled. "That is for him to know and for you to never find out. Besides, he may reconsider using them if you simply returned to him. If you simply returned your loyalty to him."

Lied twisted the dagger until she heard the bone in his chest crack and split in two. "My loyalty was never to him."

"Then he shall use whomever he pleases in order to regain his power," the man laughed hysterically. "You will never figure out his plan!"

Lied stared at the man with fleeting pity. "Very well," she ripped the dagger from the dead man's laughing chest, "then give him this message for me." She looked him straight in the eyes and brought the blade of her dagger to his throat.

"Mark my words. I will never return to you, and I will do everything in my power to protect these people. I refuse to let you use Ulquiorra as a pawn in your twisted game of chess ever again. And the next time we meet, I will see to it that you die for good." She slit the man's throat and dropped his limp body onto the ground, setting it ablaze in a white fire. "You can count on that."

A hooded figure leaned over a stone basin and smiled under the shadow of his cloak. "We shall see about that, my dear." He reached into the viscous material slowly swirling in the wide bowl and traced his finger along the frozen image of Lied's body. "We shall see."


	5. A Night of Bliss

Lied and Rukia had been right about one thing. Ulquiorra and Orihime could barely keep their hands off of one another as their limousine pulled up to the Enchanted Rose's entrance and dropped them off. They had only separated twice during the entire reception, and that was during the father-daughter, and mother-son dances.

The rest of the reception had turned out to be ten times more fun than their bachelor parties. There was no drinking or male strippers involved, but they were not needed. Everyone was having as good a time without if, if not more.

Lied had stayed in her male form long enough to be bothered by at least twenty girls before finally transforming back into her birth given gender, and had sang a tear jerking song for the bride and groom dance. Tatsuki had pestered her for the rest of the night asking her if she was somehow related to "Cane" and if she could give her his number.

Ulquiorra had stripped Orihime of her garter with his teeth and nearly caused her to faint. After which he shot the white lace covered band right between Uryu's eyes, he had found out that he had sprayed water on him instead of cologne. It was all he could not to take the blue haired boy out back and beat him senseless.

The bouquet toss could have gone a little better. Orihime had accidentally thrown her flowers into the trees and caused Lied to climb up the sturdy branches to retrieve them. She could sure move wearing a pair of high-heels and a dress.

When she finally descended the tree she tried to give the bouquet back to Orihime, saying that she deserved a second try, but she refused. It took her a while to drill the fact that whoever caught the flowers was supposedly to be the next person to marry into the spell-caster's head. Lied had just laughed at the idea and informed her that she had remained a virgin for centuries, and that she had no intention of breaking that tradition any time soon.

Rukia and Renji had somehow gotten so drunk that they had to be called a taxi to get home. Uryu and Chad had both offered to escort Lied back to her house, but she politely declined their offer. She said that she had some important issues to take care of and had left in an obvious hurry.

One of the hotel's bellhops, a boy of about sixteen with short, brown hair, brown eyes, and a slight acne problem, carted Ulquiorra and Orihime's luggage into the lobby and stopped at the front desk. There was a man with balding, white hair wearing a black tux standing behind the counter who gave the boy a card key and the teen quickly rushed over to the elevator.

Ulquiorra and Orihime stood at the revolving doors and stared at the room in awe. The chairs and couches sitting in the middle of the lounge and covered with red, leather upholstery. There was a huge chandelier hanging from the high ceiling that cast beams of light through it's threads of diamond-like beads. The walls were varnished in a rich, dark mahogany color, the floor was covered in bright red carpeting with small, golden roses embroidered into the pattern, and there were pictures of beautiful roses and other artwork hanging on the walls. It felt like they had just stepped into a palace instead of a hotel.

They walked up to the highly sophisticated, yet obstinate, man standing behind the check in counter. He gazed down at them through beady, black eyes and placed a pair of thick bifocals on the bridge of his crooked nose.

"Name?" he asked semi-politely. His voice sounded as if he had just swallowed a bottle of cough syrup and had no warmth to it at all. He was not exactly the greeter type.

"Schiffer," Ulquiorra replied bluntly. He refused to try and initiate in any prolonged conversation with this man. There was something about him that he did not like, and it was not just the stuffy attitude either.

The man gazed down at the booking ledger and trailed his skeleton like finger down the page. Why he did not just use his nose, Ulquiorra did not know. It would have saved the man any possibility of getting a paper cut on the sharp edges of the paper.

"Aw, yes, here you are," the man said in a slightly lighter tone. He handed Ulquiorra a key card and quickly returned to his passive expression. "You are in room five-eighteen. The bellhop has your second key. Enjoy your stay here at The Enchanted Rose."

Ulquiorra took the key while trying his best not to touch the old man's ancient, mummified fingers. "Thank you."

He wrapped his arm around Orihime's waist and led her over to the golden elevators on the far side of the room. The minute they were alone in the spacious closet he pulled her close to him and kissed her fully on the lips.

Orihime blushed madly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, making sure that she didn't miss a single detail of his mouth with her tongue as his slowly explored hers. She had felt a rising tension building up deep inside her over the past week and was now threatening to burst at any moment. Tonight she planned on releasing all that pent up emotion, even if she had to strap Ulquiorra to the bed to do it.

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor and the doors slowly slid open. Orihime reluctantly pulled away from Ulquiorra's embrace and was suddenly lifted off her feet in one swift move. She clung to his coat tightly and squealed with surprise.

"U-Ulquiorra, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Ulquiorra asked seductively. "I am carrying my bride to the room."

Orihime's face flushed an even deeper shade of crimson as he exited the elevator and walked leisurely down the hall. She didn't know which was worse. The fact that at any moment someone could open their door and see Ulquiorra carrying her down the gold and silver wallpapered corridor, or that he was walking so slow.

They reached a mahogany door with the numbers 518 posted in gold above the eye hole. Ulquiorra shifted Orihime and carried her in one arm with ease as he swiped the key card through the authorization scanner and opened the door.

The room was huge; at least twice the size of Orihime's apartment. The walls were varnished with a cherry oak finish, the carpet was a deep crimson with small, gold roses spaced evenly in the pattern, there was a separate, wooden frame with textured glass so no one could see inside to their left, and the bellhop had placed their bags in the large closed and left their second key on top of the bedside table. At the far end of the room was a sliding glass door that led out to a vast balcony and took up at least a third of the wall, and pressed up against the wall was an enormous bed covered with wine red sheets and giant, fluffy pillows.

Orihime gently tugged on Ulquiorra's coat and he reluctantly set her down. She walked into the middle of the room and ran her hand along the surface of the bed. The blankets were thick and soft as silk. The slight touch on her fingers sent a wave of electricity pulsing through her body.

She heard the door close behind her and felt Ulquiorra's arms wrap around her waist as he gently kissed her neck. Her pulse spiked and she quickly reached up and clutched a fist full of his thick, dark hair as she bit her lip to stifle a gasp lying in wait deep within her throat. The tension was rising uncontrollably. She had no idea how much more she could take.

Ulquiorra felt little to no pain at all as his woman pulled at his hair in a desperate attempt to keep herself from falling over the edge as he licked greedily at her pulse point; occasionally nipping at her soft skin just enough to cause her to gasp for more. He trailed his tongue from the line of her jaw down her neck, removing the strap to the gorgeous, yet obscuring, dress from her shoulder so he could kiss the sensitive skin of her shoulder blade. The soft whimpers escaping her lips was almost enough to drive him insane with uncontrollable desire.

Orihime could feel Ulquiorra's lips burn a trail down her neck and tried desperately not to gasp as he gently bite her pulse point. This was too much, or not enough. She could barely stand it yet still wanted more.

She laced her shaking fingers in his as she covered his hand with hers and slowly trailed it up her body to her breast. It suddenly seemed to have a mind all its own and grabbed her wrist firmly, only to pull it away from her body to allow Ulquiorra's free hand to gently cup her breast in an almost religious manner. If she had released the vice grip she had of his hair she could have stopped him from pulling the switch, but her mind was so hazed over with lust and desire that she could hardly think straight.

The fingers of Ulquiorra's rough and gentle hand tightened slightly around her breast and she gasped. They quickly released the material of her dress and slowly slipped underneath the fabric of her bra to cup the soft flesh of her chest. The sudden wave of electricity pounded through her being like a lightning bolt through a metal flagpole, causing a pool of warmth to swell in her abdomen.

This was too much. If she didn't do something soon, she was sure to burst. She quickly ripped Ulquiorra's hand out of her dress and plastered herself to his front. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with as much force as a wave crashing against a cliff. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair as she pressed her hips eagerly against his. This only helped a little for the time being.

Ulquiorra's eyes snapped open with instant, yet fleeting, shock. His hands reacted on their own and held Orihime to him as if she were an apparition that was about to disappear from his grasp. They roamed every last curve of her body as he unzipped the back of her dress and let it fall to the floor along with her veil. The sudden sensation of feeling her smooth skin underneath his fingertips caused him to push her down onto the bed and kiss her roughly.

He released his hold of her mouth so she could breathe and stared down at her nearly naked figure. Her blush had spread throughout her cheeks and was faintly coloring her neck, her reddish-orange hair was blazing in the moonlight pouring through the sliding glass door and stood out prominently against the wine red sheets, her eyes seemed to capture the very essence of the stars themselves, and her skin had kidnapped the moon's illuminating glow. How had he been able to keep himself from her all this time?

Orihime stared up at him with half lidded eyes, but she was not as dazed as he might have thought she was. She used this opportunity to strip him of his jacket and tossed it haphazardly across the room. The sight of his well toned arms sticking out through the arm holes of his vest wasn't enough.

She grabbed Ulquiorra by his cream colored vest and pulled him down into a lip crushing kiss. There was a split second where complete and overwhelming shock took hold of his body. She used that small window of opportunity to roll them to the middle of the bed and lay on top of him.

As soon as the shock wore off, Ulquiorra wrapped his arms around her body and kissed her passionately. Her mind clouded in a lustful haze and she was barely able to remove the vest still wrapped around his body. But once that last bit of clothing was removed from his torso, he turned the tables and pinned her beneath him.

Orihime blushed from the roots of her hair to her collar bone as she gazed up at his well chiseled chest and abdomen, but that was not what had caused her to flush an even deeper shade of red. No. What had caused her to somehow blush even more was the fact that he was holding her bra between his thumb and index finger.

She covered her chest with her arms and looked down at his chest in embarrassment. Why was this bothering her so much? He had seen her naked once before. Why was it such a problem now?

Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows and tossed the irritating piece of lavender fabric onto the floor. He gently grasped Orihime's wrists and held them above her head in one swift movement. "Do not hide yourself from me," he whispered heavily into her ear, causing her blush to intensify.

He leaned down and gently licked her pulse point before trailing down to her chest. The taste spreading over her body seemed to get sweeter the further he went. He ran his tongue over the pert bud on her right breast before latching his mouth on the sensitive skin.

A mixture between a gasp and a moan escaped Orihime's lips as she tangled her fingers in Ulquiorra's thick locks and arched herself closer to him. His tongue was teasing her in ways that she never even dreamed was possible. She was teetering on the edge of insanity and utter bliss.

Ulquiorra released the slightly pink skin and moved on to her left breast, receiving the same reaction as she pulled his hair and forced herself closer to him. The moans and whimpers emanating from her throat were like music to his ears. He needed to hear more of that beautiful chorus.

Once he was sure he had payed equal attention to both of Orihime's breasts, he slowly trailed down her abdomen and removed her remaining lavender underwear with his teeth. A wave of heat slammed into his face as he discarded the irritating fabric and his mind was suddenly in a daze. His body acted on his most basic instincts.

Orihime stared down at him with lust filled eyes. She was breathing heavily and a thin sheen of sweat had covered her body. Ulquiorra was gazing up at her like a wolf watching it's prey. The sudden change in his demeanor ignited a new flame deep within her.

Ulquiorra leaned down and held her legs with his muscular hands. He began licking her most protected area and she pulled at his firm grasp. He knew exactly what to do and what made her tick. It did not take long for him to make her scream his name in ecstasy and go completely limp.

Orihime tried to calm her breathing as she watched her lover wipe his chin with the back of his hand and leave a trail of kisses all the way up her front before kissing her on the lips. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. She was exhausted, but she had to let him know that she wanted him to continue. That she needed more.

The sudden urgency behind Orihime's kiss caused Ulquiorra to pull away and stare down at her with lust filled eyes. If she still desired more, then so be it. He unbuckled his belt and removed his pants and boxers, tossing them onto the floor with the rest of their clothes.

Orihime's eyes widened at the sight of him. At first he stood before her, naked, waiting for some sign of approval. When he did not receive it, he sighed slightly and knelt over her; pulling the wine red sheets over the lower half of their bodies as a means of security.

He kissed her passionately and gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips. "This may hurt. If I cause you any pain at all, I want you to tell me."

Orihime nodded nervously and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She had heard Rukia say how much it hurt her first time, and other girls in her class had said the same thing. But they had all said that it was very brief, so how bad could it really be?

Ulquiorra could feel her shaking as her arms tightened around him. He was not the kind of man to rush, but in this case rushing was the only thing to do. He wanted to make this as quick and painless for her as possible, so going against his better judgement just this once would do more good than harm. He positioned himself at her entrance and quickly pushed himself through the resisting barrier of her innocence.

There was a slight scream as Orihime's eyes widened immensly and she dug her nails deep into Ulquiorra's shoulders. Tears of pain cascaded down her cheeks as her body tensed and she bit her lip. The pain was so much worse than what Rukia had described it to be. How could anyone find any pleasure out of this?

Ulquiorra cupped her face in his hands and kissed her repeatedly. "I'm sorry. I never thought it would hurt you this much. But I promise that it will not hurt after this, the pain will go away soon. I promise."

Orihime almost wanted to slap him. How could he say that the pain would go away soon? He couldn't feel it! However, she was beginning to feel the ache ebb to a slight sting, which numbed and disappeared completely. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

She slowly loosened her grip on Ulquiorra's shoulders and moved slightly. All the pain she had felt suddenly turned to an electric current pulsating through her body in wave after wave of pleasure. She gazed up into his bright green, worry filled eyes and nodded for him to continue.

There was one reason why no one had stepped onto the elevator when Ulquiorra and Orihime reached the fifth floor. The entire level had been reserved for them. There was not a single other person in any of the rooms until you reached the fourth floor below.

A chorus of soft whimpers and moans spread throughout the fifth level of the hotel as the newly weds entwined themselves in each other. The moonlight shining through the sliding glass door acting as the spotlight in their sensual play as they each called each others names upon finding their own state of nirvana. This was their time, and nothing in this world was going to take that away from them.


End file.
